


Favours

by MinMaxSpeech



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Romance, Was Written as a Request for a Friend, Wholesome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:07:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23116720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MinMaxSpeech/pseuds/MinMaxSpeech
Summary: Gaige has been locked away in her workshop for days. Angel worries about her.
Relationships: Angel/Gaige (Borderlands)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

Ever since that Handsome Bastard has met his rightful end at the hands of six vault hunters, Gaige had rarely- if ever, left her private workshop. Every vault hunter had their own spots in sanctuary that were theirs. Krieg and Salvador hung around the underbelly of the flying city, Maya reserved a building, far from everyone else, to relax and read, Axton had his room for maintaining his gun and playing games, and Gaige had her workshop. Zer0 was the only anomaly, but absolutely no one knew where he went when he wasn’t on a mission with the other five vault hunters. Originally, the workshop was the mechromancer’s bedroom, but the only way one could possibly recognise it as such now was from the sight of the large bed in the corner of the room. 

The rest of the room was filled with spare mechanical parts, heavy chunks of metal, circuit boards, an almost-comical number of different tools, all serving very specific tasks, and weapons. Aside from the posters and drawings that adorned the walls, one would never have expected that a teenage girl called this room her own. Then again, Gaige was anything but normal, something she had proven time and time and time again. Facing down the full might of Hyperion, and simply laughing in its face, was not something the normal person did, after all.

The anarchist was huddled in the corner of her workshop, working on an elaborate piece of technology. Compared to all of the other items within the room, the devices that Gaige was working on seemed like they had almost come from someone else. Most of Gaige’s work was visibly rough, almost seeming cobbled-together. It was an aesthetic Gaige liked, something that made her work feel like it was her’s. The imperfections in her craft were, in fact, just as intentional as the claws that had been fitted to Deathtrap’s monstrous arms. The technology before Gaige, however, was a true testament to her abilities as a craftswoman. 

They were smooth, elegantly designed cybernetic limbs. Not a single imperfection could be seen on the legs’ plastic sheen, coloured a brilliant white. Within, however, was where Gaige had truly found her work inspired. They were not prosthetics, like her arm. They were braces. They were tools for someone to slip into, to assist them in moving around. Even Tannis didn’t truly know how to make them. No one on Pandora before had ever needed such braces and survived long enough to be able to requisition one, until now. 

Gaige was bent over a leg brace, a paintbrush held in her prosthetic arm. She swirled intricate patterns over the plastic, trying to draw similar markings as that of a Siren’s infamous tattoos over the tools. They were far from identical- Gaige had, of course, taken creative liberties in her painting of the limb, adding small patterns and drawings to the brace where they would never be on a real siren. Upon the thigh, for instance, the blue paint had twirled and swirled and coalesced to form the image of a woman, with a halo floating above her head. A marking of the woman that would hopefully be using these limbs in the not-too-distant future. 

There was a knock at the door. Immediately, Gaige pushed away from the table. With a small frown, the mechromancer noticed that the fingers of her cybernetic arm had small drops of blue paint upon them. Wiping them down upon her shirt, Gaige threw the door open for whomever was wishing to enter. With a smile, Gaige realised that her guest was exactly who she wished to see in that moment. Angel.

She and her fellow Vault Hunters had managed to fake Angel’s demise, and save her from the Control Core. As much as it had driven Handsome Jack insane, it was the only way that Angel would possibly be allowed to live in peace. Unfortunately, severing Angel from the control core had done significant damage to the Siren’s body, though her mind remained as sharp as ever. Her limbs were pitifully weak, her legs even unable to support her own weight, having not used them in years. The flight that she had been granted by the constant flow of Eridium had meant that Angel had not taken a step in years, and the strength in her legs had dissipated as a result. Fortunately, Tannis and Gaige were able to quickly design and craft a wheelchair for Angel, so the young siren could move herself around freely.

Angel pushed herself into Gaige’s workshop, a smile glowing upon her features. Despite losing the ability to walk- for now, Angel had become a beacon of sunshine on Sanctuary, a woman who was genuinely delighted with the world, and those she was close to, in spite of everything she had previously been through. Gaige found the energy infectious, and had been spending more and more time around Angel, speaking to her, and befriending the young Siren. It was always a joy to spend time with Angel, Gaige found. She just wished she could do it more, but knew that the braces for her took priority.  
“Hi!” Gaige smiled, sitting back down upon her seat, spinning it to face the guest she was entertaining.  
“Hi, Gaige.” Angel always seemed to speak somewhat quietly, compared to everyone else on Sanctuary. Gaige had assumed it was because in the Control Core, the systems there heard her every word no matter how loudly she spoke it.  
“Why are you here?” Gaige inquired.  
“I wanted to see you.”  
“Why?”  
“It’s been days since you’ve come out of here!” Angel exclaimed, the smile on her face betraying her pretended anger, “We worried about you!”  
“We?” Gaige smirked slightly, “Most of the others wouldn’t give too much of a crap if I went missing for a few days.”  
“...I worried about you.” Angel conceded, casting her gaze to the floor.

Instantly, a tidal wave of guilt crashed over Gaige’s conscience. She had intended to remain out of the way, complete Angel’s braces, and present them to the Siren as a glorious surprise. She was used to the Vault Hunters all giving one another space. They were friends, absolutely, but all completely trusted in one another’s abilities to keep each other safe. But Angel wasn’t used to that. She was, as her nickname told oh-so-clearly, a guardian angel. Gaige going missing for days on end must have worried the Siren to no end. It was the first time that Gaige cursed having the ability to digistruct her own food within her workshop- at least she’d have seen Angel during meals.  
“I’m sorry.” Gaige crossed the room quickly. Falling to one knee, Gaige wrapped her surprisingly toned arms around the smaller Siren, squeezing gently. Angel mirrored Gaige’s actions, her own weaker arms curling around Gaige’s shoulders. A small smile ghosted across Gaige’s face, though she knew that Angel could not see it. 

Neither woman spoke as Gaige embraced Angel. There was nothing to truly say. The most Gaige had done wrong was not adjust her expectations to account for the still-new inhabitant of the immense city in Pandora’s sky, and that was something Gaige would not allow to happen again. The anarchist was, as the single most prodigious engineer in this part of the galaxy, very good at learning from prior fuckups, and making out of them something majestic. That, or of course, rolling with an error, and getting from it something wonderful. That was how Deathtrap came to be, in fact. Still, somehow, cutting her own arm off with a particle saw hurt less than knowing that she had distressed Angel.

It was Angel that pulled away from the embrace. A small smile had grown upon the siren’s features as well. Gaige returned to her full height quickly, not leaving Angel’s gaze.  
“So… why have you been missing?”  
“I wanted it to be a surprise…” Gaige lamented for a moment. Angel opened her mouth to speak, but the anarchist raised a hand, silencing her before a single word could pass her lips. “But I should have told you what I was doing, so I can do that now. Make things a little better, you know?”  
“You didn’t do anything wrong, I was just worried for you.”  
“And that was my fault.” Gaige reinforced, “But I hope you’ll like this.”

A bright grin grew upon Gaige’s face, the mechromancer once more crossing the room. Picking up the braces she had been designing, she carried the legs across the room for Angel, setting them down in front of the siren.  
“You haven’t been able to walk ‘cuz of your legs. I wanted to make something to help you with that.” Gaige smiled. “They aren’t done yet, I need to finalise some stuff and finish the paint, but they should let you walk around, using your siren powers. Are they alright?” Angel said nothing, and instead reached out, and carefully picked up one of the limbs from the floor, studying the inner workings of the device carefully. Gaige often forgot that while Angel was not the prodigy she was, she was still incredibly knowledgeable with her tech. She had to be, thanks to her unique powers.  
“You made these… for me?” Angel questioned, looking at Gaige disbelievingly. “You’ve got to want something for these! I can’t let you do stuff like that for nothing!”  
“You can and you will.” Gaige sat down upon her bed, watching Angel with a warm smile. “They’re a gift. No strings attached, just for you… when they’re finished, of course.” 

Angel traced the patterns painted upon the pearly plastic, coloured all in a bright cyan. She had found the angelic woman that Gaige had painted on mere hours before. Her fingers ran across the Halo, drawing lazy circles across the design. Gaige watched, not saying a single word, allowing the siren to simply say what she wanted, without pressure. Angel was stunningly beautiful, Gaige thought. She had changed how she styled herself since leaving the control core, dressing herself in simple skirts and t-shirts, and pulling her hair back into a loose ponytail. The more relaxed, comfortable Angel was something that Gaige was absolutely ecstatic to see every time she saw it. Angel was the person Handsome Jack had left more damaged than anyone, and seeing her genuinely enjoying her life was something Gaige adored every time she observed it.

“I want to do something to make this up to you.” Angel looked at Gaige, “Please, let me. You’ve done… so much good for me. You freed me from Jack, you cared for me, and now this? Please… let me do something for you. Even if it’s something small.”  
“But it’s a gift…” Gaige spoke, gesturing to the limbs.  
“And I am thankful for it. But I want to do something to make it up to you. Please.”  
“Alright, I promise I’ll think of something.”  
“Good,” A smirk appeared on Angel’s features, “Because I am not leaving until you tell me what it is.”

Angel already knew Gaige well enough to know that if she didn’t demand this, Gaige would have happily pretended to forget, and present the completed legs without a single request. That almost scared Gaige, if the mechromancer was being honest with herself. Angel had that good of a read on her that she already had figured that out? Then again, simply asking for something small wasn’t too hard, Gaige thought. Especially for a woman with the ability to manipulate any and all technology on the entire planet, seemingly. 

Gaige had an idea. It was perhaps taking advantage of Angel, but she felt she had to ask the woman it, now she had the chance.  
“You don’t have to say yes to this, but… When I’ve finished those legs, and you’ve got them on… want to test them out by going on a date with me?” Gaige could feel her cheeks reddening with every word she spoke, until the nineteen-year-old’s face was as fiery as her bright orange hair. Angel didn’t respond for a moment. Have I pissed her off? Gaige wondered, hoping that the Siren would forgive her for asking such a stupid question. Gaige pressed her hands against her face, not wanting to see Angel’s inevitable look of disappointment, or disgust, from asking such a brazen question. 

Gaige felt a pair of gentle hands grip her own, gently guiding them away from her eyes. The anarchist glanced up, and saw Angel’s beautiful blue hues meeting her own. A moment passed, and neither woman did anything, before Angel pushed herself forward as far as she could, her lips meeting Gaige’s. The mechromancer gently pulled her hands free of Angel’s grip, wrapping her arms around the smaller Siren’s shoulders as she closed her eyes once more. The embrace was… magical! It was possibly the best feeling that the anarchist had ever experienced. She quickly found herself lost in the kiss, adoring every tiny moment of it. 

When Angel pulled away, the only worry Gaige had was that she wouldn’t experience such a wonderful thing again.  
“So… I assume that’s a yes, then…” Gaige’s face was awash in a fiery crimson blush, the likes of which never having graced her features before.  
“Of course it fucking is.” Angel grinned widely.  
“I may have a second request for you, actually, if you don’t mind?”  
“Anything.” Angel immediately responded.  
“Can we… do that again?”


	2. Chapter 2

The Highlands was a surprisingly serene place. Ordinarily, beasts, Loaders, and bandits frequented the luscious grasslands, causing the beautiful locales to be stained with blood and bullets. Ever since Hyperion’s downfall, however, the Highlands had calmed considerably, leaving only Stalkers left as threats to a traveller’s existence. Somehow, a land stained with the blood and guts of humans and wildlife alike had grown to be perhaps the one place in Pandora that could be called a slice of paradise. A singular place that truly lived up to the propaganda Dahl had created to make working on the hellscape that was Pandora seem like less of a death-sentence.

The sun shone brightly above Gaige’s head, as the young anarchist leisurely strolled through the immense locales. Gaige had spent many days in the Highlands, and in turn had spent almost all of her time fighting. Whether it was defending a Hyperion Requisition Beacon, battling through Brick’s Slabs, or working to reach Angel, the Highlands had, for Gaige, been a place of nonstop action and danger. The mechromancer was, if she was being honest with herself, still unused to the idea of being able to wander the planet of Pandora, not in imminent danger. Even the stalkers that patrolled the Highlands had grown more docile since Hyperion had departed, sticking to their habitats and never leaving them. Gaige was happy to leave them alone if they left her alone. 

The only thing consistent with this trip to the Highlands and Gaige’s prior adventures in the stunning grasslands was that the anarchist had company on all occasions. Of course, the person who’s company Gaige was entertaining was wholly different. On prior occasions, Gaige had adventured through Thousand Cuts alongside Axton and Zer0, or warred with Hyperion alongside Krieg and Salvador. This time, the woman that she walked alongside was someone wholly unique. 

Angel walked on wobbly legs, still unused to the mechanical braces that Gaige had finished the day before. One of her hands was constantly clasped within Gaige’s prosthetic grip, the mechromancer helping Angel remain as steady as she possibly could. Given how quickly Angel had adjusted to manipulating these braces, however, Gaige estimated that Angel would be moving as fluidly as water within less than a week. The speed at which Angel had acclimated herself to walking, after years of being forced into the air by her siren abilities, and yet more weeks stuck in a wheelchair impressed Gaige immensely. For anyone else, Gaige would have estimated that it would take them weeks, if not over a month before they were able to walk as an able-bodied person would. Angel was already growing close to that in less than forty-eight hours. 

The Highlands, however, was clearly more of a challenge for Angel to navigate than the smooth roads and surfaces that made up the floors of Sanctuary. Gaige was pulled free from her musings by the feeling of Angel’s hand slipping away from her own. The pale Siren fell to her knees, her hands reaching down to the floor. Immediately, Gaige worried, dashing over to Angel. It was only as Gaige approached Angel that she noticed the bright smile shining from her features.  
“Are you alright?” Gaige quickly inquired, worry flashing across her features.  
“Of course I am.” Angel met Gaige’s gaze, her bright blue hues glowing softly- the only sign that she was using her Siren abilities to manipulate her limbs. Yet another thing that Angel did without effort to impress Gaige was her ability to mask her Siren abilities. Everything she had seen of Lilith and Maya showed her that Sirens couldn’t at all hide their abilities, and here was Angel, using her abilities at all times, with next-to-no sign at all that she was doing it.  
“Thank god,” Gaige breathed out, relief flooding her systems, “I was worried for you.”  
“Thank you,” Angel smiled warmly, “But I can take care of myself, you know?””  
“But I’m meant to be your big, scary girlfriend, that protects you from the world…” Gaige lamented, sitting down upon the grass, running her flesh-and-blood hand through the green.  
“I had enough of that from Jack, Gaige. I’m happy just having you care for me the normal amount.” Angel laughed, adjusting herself so she sat next to her girlfriend. 

Gaige turned to face Angel, noticing just how beautiful she was in her chosen attire. She had worn a loose skirt over her braces, alongside a bright cyan shirt, and a soft white jacket. Atop her head was a wide sun-hat, shielding her from the bright, burning star above. Angel had gone years without experiencing the sun across her back, and both she and Gaige were worried about the young Siren burning if she went to a place like the Highlands without some form of protection. The broad hat was the best solution they could come up with, and after a quick visit to the quick change, Angel had donned it. It suited her wonderfully, Gaige thought. 

Gaige had realised soon into their trip that this was almost-certainly their first date, as Gaige had requested from Angel. She loved the simple exploration of possibly the most gorgeous place on Pandora, with the most gorgeous woman that Gaige had ever laid eyes upon. The simple joy of experiencing life that Angel emanated with every single thing she did was something Gaige had instantly found herself adoring, after having spent so long against people worn down by the pain, blood, and violence that they faced on Pandora on a daily basis. Angel simply finding joy in being alive, being safe from her asshole father, and being able to- for the first time in her life- find her own way in life was something that was so much of a change of pace from every other person to survive Pandora that it almost made the siren seem like the godly being she was named for.

Gaige simply observed Angel in silence, not wanting to distract the siren from her relaxation. She was simply basking in the sight of Pandora’s wilderness in person. Gaige suddenly realised that this might be the first time that Angel had experienced something as simple as the wind brushing against her cheeks in well over a decade. Small things that Gaige had grown wholly used to taking for granted- even disliking, were miraculously new experiences to Angel. It was a surreal thing to think about, to imagine what Angel might possibly be thinking, now that she’s been released from the horrific Control Core. Every time that Gaige thought about what that handsome jackass put Angel through, it made her impossibly angry, knowing that he had done so much harm to such a beautiful, intelligent woman. 

It pissed her off even more to know that he genuinely thought he cared for her. That all of the horrific, fucked-up shit he did was caused by some twisted and malformed idea of love for his daughter. She needed to introduce her to her dad, at some point, Gaige thought. Angel needed to see what a truly caring father was like, and there was no better dad than her own. She’d only be able to do it in person, also. It wouldn’t be right if Gaige wasn’t there to hug her dad when they met again. But that would mean leaving Pandora. Some day, she’d do that. Not now, though. Now she was with Angel.

Forcing herself out of her musings, Gaige glanced back over to the beautiful siren that she had somehow earned the right to call her girlfriend. It was an impossible thing to think about, that she had managed to not only befriend Angel, but convince her to give her a chance. She didn’t know what she had done to deserve such a gift from the gods, all she did was be nice to a wonderful, intelligent, beautiful woman, and the gift she got for doing it was this? 

She’d bring that Handsome Jackass back and kill him again if it meant that the universe would be this awesome to her.

“Gaige?” Angel spoke up, a small grin visible on her wonderful features, “You okay? Kinda look like you’re spacing out there.”  
“I’m fine, don’t worry. I was just thinking.”  
“Anything specific?”  
“Not really. Decided what I’m gonna do when I leave Pandora, but beyond that, it was mostly just thinking about how awesome you are.” Angel gently pushed Gaige away with a giggle at that last admission, her pale cheeks a faint crimson.  
“You’re too cute for your own good.” Angel grinned, her cheeks tinted pink. It looked absolutely stunning upon her, Gaige thought. “What’re you planning to do when you leave Pandora, since you’ve decided?”  
“I wanna go back to Eden-5. Where I came from. I wanna take you to meet my mom and dad, if that’s alright.”  
“Of course it is!” Angel beamed, “I’d love to meet them.” 

Gaige smiled warmly at Angel’s admission. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was set-in-stone as what they would do after leaving the apocalyptic wasteland world of Pandora. Returning to her home, letting her dad meet the woman she had so quickly grown to see as possibly the best thing to ever happen to her. Just thinking about Angel would so-often bring a smile to the mechromancer’s features. Was this what being in love was like? If it was, Gaige absolutely adored it.

“What about you?” Gaige looked at Angel, “What do you want to do, now you’re free?”  
“I think I want to stick around my big, strong girlfriend.” Angel smirked, amusement glinting in her eyes, “And have fun with her. I’ve lived my life for so long knowing exactly what will come on a given day, the same shit over and over and over and over again. I really like the idea of not knowing what’ll happen, in my future, honestly. It’ll be a nice change of pace.”  
“That sounds like a kickass plan, honestly.” Gaige grinned.  
“Thank you for saying so.” Angel returned the smile. 

Gaige glanced around the beautiful, grassy area that she had settled down to relax upon. It was rather nondescript, with the exception of the silvery mirage of a pack of stalkers travelling through a number of caves in the distance, very little even seemed to move. It was like the moment was frozen in time, a simple perfect moment for Gaige to relax with the woman she cared so deeply for. She noticed something small, moving in the gentle winds that had been brushing against them as they relaxed under the bright sun.

Reaching out and closing her fingers around the small item, Gaige pulled it up from the ground. It was a flower, a beautiful white carnation, the pearly petals waving slightly in the soft breeze. Gaige was happy she took it in her organic hand, now- she doubted her prosthetic would have been quite as gentle. One downside of designing a metal hand for kicking ass and summoning a murderous robot is that it isn’t as soft as flesh and blood, tragically. Looking at the flower, Gaige had an idea.

Slowly and carefully, Gaige slipped closer to Angel, wrapping her cybernetic hand around her girlfriend’s shoulder. Angel tensed for a moment- making fear spark through Gaige once more- but quickly relaxed into Gaige’s grip. Gaige adjusted Angel’s sun-hat, and with a smile, gently slipped the bright white flower behind her pale partner’s ear. Angel quickly lifted a hand, feeling at the item that Gaige had placed.  
“Is that a flower?” Angel quickly questioned, raising an onyx-coloured eyebrow at her girlfriend.  
“Yep.”  
“Why?”  
“It reminded me of you.” Gaige spoke honestly. Angel didn’t reply, though her cheeks did once more become a pale pink. All she did was adjust her sun-hat back to as it was, though the flower was clearly still visible, to Gaige’s delight, before leaning back against her girlfriend.  
“Thank you.” Angel murmured.


End file.
